Chapter 4

(Zephar's pov)

Everywhere became quiet, the crowd turned to prince Darius. He didn't flinch, his hand held his sword and his face turned unreadable. He still held me tight so as not to lose sight of me.

“Oh! My brother, step away from the servant and explain why you're covered in a dead man's blood,” The fourth prince, Ronan Sylas turned to him.

"I had a man killed in the eastern corridor," he answered calmly. "He's a servant and I found this on him.” 

He reached into his coat and pulled out a small black vial with smoke around it. “But I've unalived him," then continued. "He had confessed that someone in this room paid a ransom for him to poison the first prince cup,"

“And who did he say paid him?” Ronan narrowed his eyes.

He scanned the hall and I noticed his eyes drop at the eighth prince. Vaughn hadn't moved from his seat, his eyes were closed and his hands still on his knees.

"I don't know yet," he turned back to Ronan. "But we will find out soon, I understand that he's your only brother from your birth mother and we have all seen this black Vail before." Prince Darius announced.

The candles in the room flickered and went off. Every flame. The hall fell into darkness completely and he pulled me closer, my back pressed against his chest. My hands were trembling.

He could use his inner eyes to watch everything closely, screams filled the void. Everyone finding their pace out of the hall and to safety. I held his hand.

“Don't let go of me,” he whispered into my ear.

“I won't. He heard me say.

The darkness lasted ten seconds, the candles reignited again as if nothing had happened and then the black vial disappeared. I looked at his empty hand and then at him, my hands were still trembling.

“Valen Crowe!!! Leave now!!” he commanded his younger brother.

"We also need to leave now." My voice cracked.

He didn't answer me, he just pulled me through the crowd, toward the exit, ignoring the calling of the fourth prince and the reaching hands of the guards. His sword yielded every other sword and arrows, I didn't stop until we were outside the hall walls.

Then we heard the warning bell, someone had just declared war within the palace wall. We got on his tied horse and didn't stop until we reached his canopy. He got down and helped me down, my face buried in his coat.

“So cute.” I heard him.

He shoved his chamber door open and pulled me inside, and locked it behind us, three bolts, two chains, and a seal. Then he turned to me standing still.

My black hair was still packed. My chest rose and fell too fast, “you sleep here and from now on? You don't leave my side, no errands or so unless I ask you to,” 

“My prince, I don't understand,” I spoke at last and he stepped in close enough for me to feel his breath. He reached out and touched my chin lightly, just enough to tilt my face up toward his.

“I'm trying to keep you alive for a reason, you will be my word now about what happened today, if you die, they'll think I plotted it all to kill Marcus,” he explained to me.

“What if I try leaving your side?”

“Don't try, Zephar, don't or you regret it,” he threatened me.

“Once I'm done taking a bath, you have yours and you stay here.” He tossed his coat aside and made way to his bathroom and cleaned up in lavender scent and changed. I sluggishly took my bath and returned to the room.

The warning bells had stopped an hour before sunrise, I laid on his bed with my eyes still open, I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest, my swollen eyes fixed on the window, the pale light seeping through. He was still on his seat watching me.

"You didn't wink a bit, Zephar,” he made sure his voice was quiet.

"You didn't tell me I can sleep, my prince," I turned from the window and faced him.

"I told you to stay, Zeph," 

"Then you should have been clearer." 

Those words escaped my mouth before I could catch them. He kept looking at me with no reaction, no one has ever spoken to him like that apart from his late mother. Just like he was seeing me for the first time, he stared deep at me. My head went down and I dropped to my knees.

"You have quite a mouth on you," They left his lips.

"I'm so sorry, my prince, yesterday's event is still fresh and I can't even check if my friends are still alive,” I was stuttering.

"That's why you couldn't sleep," he tried to understand me. “Stood up, Zeph, it's just me and you here.”

I hesitated before standing to my feet, my hands at my back and face down.

“I'll go order your breakfast and get your bathing water ready,”

“I told you not to handle them again unless I say so,”

“My prince, what am I supposed to be doing in your room? We're not on the same level, a servant shouldn't stay in his master's chambers unless on duty,” 

“You're lecturing me now, Zeph,”

“I'm sorry, my prince, I'm trying to be careful, I still have four and a quarter years left to serve and go to my hometown.” I mellowed down.

His gaze still fixed at me, he stood up and walked to the door, opened it and ordered for our breakfast and new dresses. I was still standing there and he went and stood in front of me. I fumbled my dress and signed deeply.

“Look up.” 

I slowly lifted my face to meet him, the prince's left hand found my chin and cupped it. So, fitting in his hand, he dropped his sword and loosened my hair to fall to my waist.

I swallowed hard and still kept looking at him, he touched my hair, caressed it and looked back at my face. He touched my cheek softly and pulled me closer to him, his hand on my waist.

“My prince, what are you doing?”

He didn't answer me, he used his hand and caressed my lips, my chest raising and dropping so fast. He slid his hand to my neck to give me that brush feeling and my cheek turned pink.

“Darius,”

“You called my name, Zeph,”

“I'm sorry, my prince, I —

He cut me short, he quickly bent to my height and placed his nose on mine. It was nothing like I expected, I didn't push him away. Our eyes are still fixed on each other.